Economic Development Fund to Make Grants

For those who are not involved in the day-to-day work of the Community Foundation, the different types of funds can be confusing. They include “unrestricted” funds which allow the Community Foundation to make grants for whatever charitable purposes the Foundation chooses. At the other end of the spectrum are “donor advised” funds, which use the donors’ recommendations on which grants to consider, and “designated” funds, which are created to support specific organizations. In the middle of the continuum are “field-of-interest” funds which give the Foundation discretion in making grants within donor selected areas of interest or geographical areas.

One of the field-of-interest funds that is currently accepting applications is the John and Sandra Mayfield Family Economic Development Fund. I sat down with John and with Mark DeMeulenaere, a member of the selection committee, to talk about their hopes for the grant program.

John and Mark are both entrepreneurs who have helped to create and grow businesses in Mendocino County, including Microphor in Willits and NTech Industries in Ukiah. John sees a shift in the type of businesses that are growing in the county. “In my earlier life, new business creation often centered around lumber – whether it was in the area of mill supplies, welding supplies, transportation, or other related businesses. Although grapes are now a big business here, I see our future as being economically more diverse, including small niche businesses that are being created as the influence of Silicon Valley moves north.”

Mark agrees that new businesses will be more diversified and therefore more self-sustaining. He also notes the success of homegrown businesses. “Many of the small businesses are being developed by local people. That seems to be a more successful strategy than attracting businesses from out of our county.”

So how does all of this translate into a field-of-interest grant program? Both John and Mark see education as a key component. Mark said, “There is an educational premium. If we are going to increase our workforce, we need people who have a variety of skills. That is why Mendocino College plays such an important role in our county. Many of the people trained at the college stay here to work. When John and I were at NTech, we sent kids to college. We had one employee who joined us right out of the high school MESA program. We helped him get through college and get a degree as an electronic engineer. He is still working in the community.”

John added that Junior Achievement programs provide a good example of how an entrepreneurial mind-set starts early. He remembers his experiences as a Junior Achievement advisor several years ago. “We got kids involved with starting their own company. The group of kids I worked with developed a business making planter boxes and other things out of redwood. Now a lot of those same kids have businesses in our region.”

Both men are cautiously optimistic about the possibilities for economic growth in the county. Mark notes, “I see another generation of business people emerging in our county. It’s a slow process and there is no ‘white knight.’ But there is an awareness that we need to support local entrepreneurs.”

The John and Sandy Mayfield Economic Development Fund is one of several field-of-interest funds that are accepting applications until March 15. For more information on grant guidelines and application procedures, visit http://www.communityfound.org/grants-scholarships/.

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